How Long Do Mushrooms Last In the Fridge?: Be Safe, Not Sorry!

How long do the mushrooms last in the fridge? I have found out the answer for you, so do not risk your health! 🙂

I usually do my grocery shopping once a week. Being a mom, that means that I stock up on quite a few items, including fruit and veggies which have a short use by a period.

I do plan my meals in advance, but things won't always turn out as planned. In fact, they rarely do. Most of the times, I end up lacking time to cook what I have planned for that day, and thus I improvise and cook something entirely different.

As a result, many grocery items end up unused, often even forgotten somewhere in my fridge, waiting for me to discover them again and put them in good use.

For example, my kids and I love mushrooms, and thus they often find their way into my shopping cart. However, mushrooms need to be used rather quickly or they will not only change their color and texture but also become a health hazard.

For this reason, I have done my best to find the answer to the question of how long do mushrooms last in the fridge. Now you and I both can be 100% sure that our long lost mushrooms are safe to eat once we stumble upon them in our packed refrigerators!

Right to the Point: How Long Do Mushrooms Last?

It is hard to answer this question as there are different types of mushroom, packed and stored in different ways. On average, store-bought mushrooms can last for up to two weeks in your fridge. Storing them out of the refrigerator is not even an option.

It goes without saying that you should ask around and find out how long the mushrooms had been sitting on the store shelf before you bought them as buying fresh ones will significantly prolong the period you will be able to use them at home without having any health concerns.

If you are fortunate and find the freshest mushrooms humanly possible, you will be able to use them a few days beyond the two-week mark too, but that rarely happens when you shop in the supermarkets, as most of us do.

There is one more thing that can mess up this two-week window. Namely, usually, only whole mushrooms can last this entire period while sliced ones change their color and texture much sooner. In fact, if you prefer sliced mushrooms, be aware that their shelf-life is most often sliced by half too!

Why is that so?

Well, once sliced, mushrooms become more exposed to the elements that cause them to turn bad in the first place. Therefore, if you are not in much hurry, or too lazy to slice mushrooms, you should better opt for the whole ones. In this way, if they end up forgotten somewhere in the back of your fridge, you will have a better chance of being able to use them!

How Can You Tell When the Mushrooms Have Gone Bad?

First of all, think before you buy!

And, by think I mean look closely! The seller can tell you all sort of things, but your eyes never lie! For this reason, you must always put the mushrooms to the sight test. One look at the mushrooms will open a world of information to you!

Mushrooms that have started going bad change their appearance significantly. The first sign to look for are dark spots, It does not mean that such mushrooms are necessarily unsafe to consume, but they are definitely much closer to that point than the ones that do not have any spots.

Therefore, once you notice that mushrooms in your fridge have started to change color or develop dark spots, use them right away or be prepared to toss them rather soon!

Besides the change of color, mushrooms that are unsafe to consume can also dry out and wrinkle. Although there are mushrooms dried by special techniques you can buy and eat safely, the ones that dry out on their own can seriously endanger your health. So, wrinkles on your mushrooms are a big no, no!

If you are not sure how much spots or wrinkles are too many, give your mushrooms a sniff test as well.

If mushrooms have gone bad, their smell will change too. I hope that you have had an opportunity to smell fresh mushrooms as that will make a sniff taste much easier to explain. If you know how fresh mushrooms smell, simply rely on that and discard the ones that have changed their odor.

The difference in the smell of fresh mushrooms and ones that have gone bad cannot remain unnoticed, believe me. If you never smelled fresh mushrooms, the best advice I can give you is to look for the ones with a subtle, light smell and avoid the ones that have a strong, unpleasant odor!

Finally, if both previous tests are inconclusive, give your mushrooms a poke. If they have gone bad, your mushrooms will be slimy and should be avoided at all costs. In fact, open your trash can and toss those slimy health hazards away at once!

Extra advice: If you go through all the tests and you are still not 100% sure whether your mushrooms are safe to eat or not, better be safe than sorry and throw them away!

Check out what Dr Joel Fuhrman has to say about the incredible health benefits of mushrooms!

How to Prolong the Shelf Life of your Mushrooms?

First of all, avoid the rookie mistake and do not wash the mushrooms prior to storing them in your fridge! If you soak them in water, they will go bad much quicker. In fact, presoaked mushrooms can last for only about a week in the fridge!

Why?

Soaking them will increase moisture in the environment and thus cause your mushroom to go bad faster. Wash your mushrooms immediately before you plan to use them, and you will avoid this problem. If you want to do that ahead and save time once you get to preparing them, wash the day or two before.

In essence, there is no good reason to soak your mushrooms at all - a quick wash before cooking is more than enough.

Prolonging the shelf life of your mushrooms requires you to store them properly as well. Therefore, if you wish to elongate the shelf life of your mushrooms store them in a paper bag. That will allow the mushrooms to "breathe" and slow down their decaying process.

If you notice that your mushrooms have begun to change, you can prolong their life by browning them. Just pour some oil in a pan and cook the mushrooms for a couple of minutes and you will add a couple of days to their shelf life. Once browned, they need to be placed in an airtight container and put back in the fridge.

Is freezing an option?

Yes, it is, but fresh mushrooms can be tricky to freeze due to their high water content. It is best to place the mushrooms onto parchment paper and into the freezer-safe airtight bag. For best results, try to press out as much air as possible before sealing the bag.

Also, it is better to freeze cooked mushrooms than the fresh ones. I usually steam them before freezing, but you can also blanch or saute them. Once you do that, put them in an airtight container and freeze them for up to a month. In essence, mushrooms kept constantly frozen at 0°F will stay safe indefinitely but will change their taste and texture as time goes by.

Final Words

Mushrooms are very healthy and easy to incorporate into your diet. I have some great recipes, but I hope you will share some good ones with us too!

Now that we all know how long the mushrooms last in the fridge, we can safely enjoy them together! Yet, remember this - all mushrooms are edible but some only once!

Barbara Whitney

For the last 20 years, I’ve been cooking, preparing, researching, and gathering recipes, tools, and knowledge about food and the way we prepare it. Raising two lively boys and spoiling one great husband later, it’s safe to say that I’ve optimized my kitchen to deliver the best possible meal, no matter the occasion.

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Kyle

Great article! I loooove mushrooms. Anyone interested in this stuff should definitely check out the book Everyday Roots. It teaches you how to replace all the toxic chemicals in your life with healthy organic alternatives. Its completely changed my life and how I feel everyday! 🙂